


A Little Touch of Heavenly Light

by jesstiel (jseca)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, gen - Freeform, pre-destiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-30
Updated: 2012-12-30
Packaged: 2017-11-22 22:15:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/614943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jseca/pseuds/jesstiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set somewhere in the middle of season 5.  Dean, Sam and Cas take a brief respite from the apocalypse hanging over their heads.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Touch of Heavenly Light

After their most recent hunt is over and done with, Castiel looks as if he's about to vanish into the night like always. Dean takes the initiative before he can think better of it, led by the high of a hunt well finished, and claps his hand down onto the angel’s shoulder before he can make his customary swift exit.

“Got something you might wanna see before you zap off, Cas.” He says, removing his hand after what he doesn't count as a second too long, himself.  Castiel simply nods, tilting his head in his familiar, questioning way as he turns back to face the Winchesters.  Dean grins, something between self-satisfaction and the amusement that sometimes still flares up when it comes to being able to sway the decisions of a bona fide Angel of the Lord. 

It’s a fleeting happiness, he knows, (and even calling it happiness could well be a bit of a stretch) but you take what you can get.  Forget the looming apocalypse, just for a moment.

The idea comes from being practically in the middle of nowhere, where there’s only natural light and the middle of the night is slowly fading away. Sam’s probably already got it, Dean reckons, seeing the small smile on his younger brother’s face as the three of them get back into the Impala after stuffing their hunting gear back into the trunk.  None of them speak as Dean drives the short distance, Led Zeppelin acting as their background sound.

Dean stops in what he considers to be a good enough ‘middle of nowhere’, and the brothers get out of the Impala.  Sam heads for the trunk, grabbing a few beers whilst Dean makes straight for the front of the car, perching himself on the hood with a practiced ease.  He listens as Cas’ door opens, and Dean grins, twisting his neck to face the angel.

“Dean, I don’t understand.” Castiel speaks plainly, walking round to face the hunter ** _._** He does not particularly understand the situation, that’s true enough, but he also is a little unsure as to why Dean seems so calm and peaceful.  Are they not in the middle of terrible circumstances?

“Nothing to understand, Cas.” Dean replies, followed with a quick “thanks, Sam,” as his brother comes round to give him his beer, before perching on the Impala next to him.  “Just look.” He motions skyward with the bottle, flicking the bottle cap open as he goes.   Cas looks.

What he looks at is a night sky unmarred by the light pollution of a city; a sky blanketed with thousands upon thousands of stars.   A glimpse into the galaxy itself.

“It’s kind of a tradition of ours.” Sam explains, looking over to the angel.  “When we didn’t have much to do in the middle of nowhere, sometimes this is where we ended up.”  He holds an arm out to Cas, offering another beer over to the angel. Castiel shakes his head softly, instead turning his head back to the sky.  He refrains from perching himself onto the hood of the Impala, instead standing close to it as he stands and stares up into the night sky.  Something in him knows that the space on the car is reserved.  ‘ _A tradition_ ’, Sam had said.  This is something long repeated, something that has  _meaning_  to his friends.  Everything, Cas surmises, from the myriad of stars to the two brothers to quietly drinking on the hood of the Impala.  He feels quietly honoured to be invited into this  _tradition._    

Dawn is approaching, he realises, as a small burst of orange appears on the horizon.  In the quiet, he decides to take the opportunity to stretch his wings, and quietly throws them up into the air, unbeknownst to Sam and Dean.  He stretches them high up, pointing towards the sky.  It takes Castiel a few moments to realise that he’s standing close enough to Dean for his wings to have brushed up against his friend’s arm, though the older Winchester doesn’t seem to have noticed, save for him unconsciously leaning into it a little.  Castiel decides to simply leave it be, enjoying the warmth he both gives and receives through the small touch.

He expects to yearn for heaven as he stares up into the stars, even knowing that he could be there within as little as the next millisecond if he so chose, since he knows that his home is associated with the sky and the stars in human lore **.**   But instead, there is an otherworldly feel to it all that he cannot quite describe, not with the millions of languages he has at his own personal whim. It is a calm, quiet feeling, and he is grateful for having experienced it.  More grateful still that  _Dean_ had been the one to offer such an experience to him. He decides that this is one human activity he would like to repeat.   Maybe he could even become a real part of the Winchesters’ tradition, eventually; maybe one day he will be sat carefully on the Impala as he stares up.

With that thought on his mind, he decides to quietly take his leave, and allow the Winchesters their own respite before moving on.  It is the dawning of a new day, after all, and they each have their own tasks for it.  He stretches his wings out further, and allows himself a final two glances.  First, to the Winchester brothers sitting at his side, (whereupon he takes a moment to silently thank Dean,) and secondly, a final glance to the night sky as dawn rolls slowly in. 

When Dean next looks over at Cas, the angel is gone, and with it, a sudden, strange absence of warmth from his arm.   

**Author's Note:**

> Title borrowed from Florence and the Machine's 'Breath of Life'. The fic itself ended up being based on [this amazing piece of fanart](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdld7yPTG81qdctn9o1_1280.jpg) by [alicexz](http://alicexz.deviantart.com)!


End file.
